A New Start
by The Forgotten Demigods
Summary: It's New Years Eve and Natalia and Tyler got in a fight. Will Tyler and Natalia get back together or will Carter or Xander get there chance? (Written by Mrslukecastellan)


_**Hey everybody! It's Mrslukecastellan! I figured since Teddy did such a good job at making a Christmas one shot for The Forgotten Demigods, I should probably make one as well, this one for New Years Eve…..alright, that, and Teddy told me I had to make one because it was my turn. Not that I mind it. I hope that all of this is going to be really good, and I am curious to know what all of you are thinking about this as well. I think it's going to be pretty good, and I am sure there will be some shocking moments coming that you are extremely surprised and, well…shocked, from. You have to tell me in a review, though, otherwise I won't know anything, because sadly I am unable to read minds. So, if you would help Teddy and I out, and anyone else who cares to know what you think as the reader, please leave a review. I promise, we will be very, very grateful, and I will personally reply to every review you leave.**_

_**Also, for the sake of self advertisement, I have a contest going on, if you are interested in entering it. If you would like the information, say so in your review, or send me, Mrslukecastellan, a PM. I would be happy to give you the information, and there's no harm just asking, is there? I think not.**_

_**Well, there is that, and now you can read the one shot. I hope that you will like it…did I already say that? Dang, I think I did. Oh well. I'm sorry for being stupid. Here's a one shot to fix it.**_

**Word Count Without A/N: 6,032**

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**Natalia**

* * *

"How about this one?" I ask, looking nervously in Kaisy's direction while holding up a random dress from my closet.

She looks at me like I have 4 heads. "Um….no. Isn't that your dress from the dance, Nat?"

I nod. "I couldn't find anything else that looked appropriate." I murmur.

"And Luke took all of the things I considered wanting to wear. He said they weren't modest enough."

She tilts her head. "Modest? What the hell does he know about modest? He doesn't object to those Aphrodite girls wearing their bikini's all day long."

The two of us start laughing.

"Yeah, but those Aphrodite girls aren't his little sister. He doesn't care what they do, because he doesn't think of them like a little girl that needs to be watched constantly."

She rolls her eyes at me. "He doesn't treat you like that either. Not lately. Ever since Tyler and Liz got here it's been different. I mean, sort of."

I shrug. "No, he still does. He just trusts Tyler to do it as well. I mean….how old is Tyler if he aged still?"

Kaisy shrugs as well. "I have no idea….but however old it is, he doesn't look a day over 17. At the most, he only looks 18." She laughs.

"You're a lucky little girl, Natalia Castellan. Tyler watches over you, doesn't he? Like….like a guardian angel."

"Yes I do." I hear, and suddenly I feel Tyler's hands on my shoulders.

I look up at him. "Oh, hey baby." I say, and he leans down to kiss my lips. I see that there's a bag on my bed that wasn't there before.

"Tyler…..what wonderful or catastrophic thing have you brought into my room?" I ask, smiling as big as I can.

He raises an eyebrow. "What have I brought? Baby, it's not me. It's Santa. He delivered this to my room and told me to give it to you."

Kaisy covers her mouth with her hand. "I'll just leave you two alone."

She steps out, but not before giving me one of her signature winks. The ones that either mean, 'You're so getting laid tonight', or 'Have fun, and don't you dare get yourself laid'. Yes. Kaisy's winking always has to do with sex. I've only had the second kind used on me before, obviously, but I saw her use it on a son of Apollo at the Christmas party. And no, not Xander, before you ask. Ew. You nasty people. That would be horrible. And gross. It would be horribly gross.

"Seriously, Tyler. Answer my question. I would like to know what's in the bag before I open it, because I am worried it's going to explode, combust, or make an obnoxious noise when I open it."

He smirks at me, blinking. "Darling, how on God's green Earth would you expect me to be doing something so severely, so simply, so drastically, immature?" He throws his hands up like he's mad at me, then collapses onto my bed next to bag in sounds that sound like sobs, but he's smiling the entire time.

"You, my dear boyfriend, are a boy. And you've been exposed to Carter and Xander and Lucas and Luke and every other boy on this ship. Please pardon my girlish ways and my constant worry that I'll be pranked by one of the many people of the male persuasion that try and get the better of sweet, innocent little Natalia Castellan." I frown to go along with it, just to make it more convincing.

"Honey, any boy that tries to get anything over on you knows already that he is going to be in for a world of hurt. I would never, ever try to pull something over on you, Natty."

I give him a look.

"Sorry. Natalia."

I stop giving him my look. "Thank you."

I open the bag, deciding I should probably look. And what I find….lingerie.

"Tyler!" I exclaim. "Do you want me to get murdered?"

He smiles. "Come on, Nat. Who would kill you wearing that?"

I give him as steely a look as I can. "Luke! He would chain me to a freaking wall, or ban me from seeing you, or send me to be a nun, Tyler! Tell me you're joking."

"I'm not joking. Come on. It's a new year at midnight…..we can have a little fun before then. At midnight it's a fresh start, so the sex we have this year doesn't count."

I look down at the floor, laughing to myself. "Are you really that stupid? You're asking me for _sex_? Of all things, you ask for _that_?"

He nods. "Yes. I'm your boyfriend. It's alright to have sex with your boyfriend, Nat."

I shake my head. "Not when you're 15 years old, and have a lot of commitments, like I do, Tyler. I promised I would when I was 18. That way it isn't illegal."

"Babe, it's not illegal. I'm still a minor. You are too. It's not like we're doing anything illegal."

I almost start crying, hating the way I have to say no to him. I love him so much. "But how long have you been that way? I…..I know you're only a few years older than me immortally. But before that…..when's the last time you aged? You've been around for more than I have, haven't you?"

He stares at me, and then suddenly, he grabs my arm. "Listen, Nat. You're gonna do what I want. I come from a time when woman did what they were told. They cooked. They cleaned. And they served the men they were with in whatever way they wanted, without complaining and whining about it."

"This isn't that time, Tyler. I'm not your wife, and I am not some object that you can order around. I'm a human being, and a woman. And you can't tell me to put on some skanky lingerie and have sex with you. Especially, in a place where someone can hear us! My brother would kill me! Kill me, Tyler! And then he'd kill you!"

Tyler leans forward, kissing me so hard my teeth hurt.

"Tyler, stop it!" I exclaim, trying to push him off me.

"Why the hell are you being such a little bitch? You're being so prissy, Nat!"

"I'm not your whore!" I scream at him.

He punches me so quickly I don't even have time to see it coming.

I fall onto the floor, my face bursting into more pain than I've ever felt.

"You….y-you punched me." I stammer.

"Yeah, and if you don't listen to me, you're going to get even more damage." He sneers.

I shakily get to my feet. "Get out."

"What?"

"Get out. Just get out."

"Why? Nat, you're being stupid. I don't even-"

"GET OUT, YOU JERK!"

"I'm not a jerk, you're being stupid!"

"You hit me, Tyler! I thought you thought domestic violence was disgusting!"

"I do!" He exclaims.

"Then why the hell did you just hit me?!"

He walks out without another word.

"Just in case this wasn't obvious, we're breaking up!" I yell after him.

By that time, half the people who live in this hallway are peeking out of their doors, no doubt after hearing Tyler and I arguing. We're one of the power couples on this ship, so I can understand that pretty much. Nobody excepts the perfect couples to ever break up. I state crying, sitting on the floor outside my door, watching as slowly everyone disappears back into their own rooms. Nobody likes each other much either, I guess. Or they just don't feel like helping me. Or they don't want to get involved. Probably the last thing.

I put my head down on my knees, not even caring about how my makeup is probably smearing and running and getting all over my face, or that it's New Years Eve and I have a party to get ready for.

I feel someone tapping on my shoulder and look up, seeing Liz holding Lydia.

"Natalia….are…..are you alright?"

I shake my head. "No. I'm horrible."

"What's wrong?" she asks me.

"Ask your baby daddy." I say.

She gasps and sits down next to me. "Natalia…..oh my gods, you have a bruise on your cheek. Oh my god….Tyler…..did he hit you?"

I shake my head, not wanting to admit to it. Admitting to it makes me to blame for it. I can't admit to it. "No. I just….fell." I say, hoping she won't detect my lie.

"Did the two of you get in a fight?" It doesn't seem like she notices anything wrong with my explanation, so I just continue on.

I nod. "I broke up with him."

Liz's eyes widen. "You did?"

I nod. "Yeah. I just…..the two of us need to take a break. I didn't like the way he was treating me. If he likes me at all, he'll fix what he did, and we can get back together again. If he doesn't change anything, I know not to get back together with him."

Liz offers me her hand, managing to also hold Lydia, and I take it, letting her help me up. "Come on. Let's go back to my room, and we can get ready for the party."

I smile. "Thanks….that means a lot to me, Liz."

She smiles back. "No problem. You are I are in the same situation…..Tyler did something to piss us off. And we're gonna make him see what he's missing tonight. We're going to look fabulous, and he's not going to know what hit him." She smiles, and Lydia reaches out towards me. We reach her room, and Liz fishes out her key. Once she gets the door open and turns on the light, she sets Lydia down in a little crib over in the corner, and I see all the baby supplies around the room.

"Wow….nice place, you've got here." I say, being genuine.

She nods. "Lydia's stuff takes up most of the space, as you can see. But I manage to live around it."

I smile. "Does Tyler take her a lot?"

She shakes her head. "Once in a while. Most of the time I have to ask him if he wants her. I know he wants to take her….but he just doesn't know when it's alright. He doesn't know if I'm always going to say yes. So I let him know when he's taking her. But I love her."

She looks over at the little baby. "I love her so much. And I don't care who her daddy is. He's an asshole. And I can take care of her myself if I ever have to absolutely do it alone."

I nod and sit down on her bed.

"You have something to wear tonight?" she asks me.

I shake my head. "No. Luke too anything he thought was too revealing from me, and I don't know what I should wear."

She smiles mischievously. "I have the perfect dress for you."

She walks over to her closet, and pulls out a dark blue dress. It is one of the most gorgeous things I have ever seen in my life. It has one shoulder with flowers on it, and it's really short and fluffy and gorgeous, and short. Above all, it's shorter then what I normally wear. And oh dear gods, it is going to make Tyler want me.

I can't wait.

"It's gorgeous, Liz!" I exclaim.

She nods. "I know. It's one of my better dresses, I think. And you should wear it."

"Do you have something?" I ask.

"I made sure I had something to wear before I offered you something, don't worry about it. And so does Lydia."

She looks over at her daughter.

"Aww. She's coming to the party?" I reply, looking over in Lydia's direction as well.

"Yeah, but she's leaving a few hours after it starts. And Katie is bringing Steven and Jackson as well, so she isn't going to be alone."

"Oh….baby play date?" I ask.

Liz nods. "Of course!"

"That's cute."

Liz nods and gets Lydia out of her crib, getting a light pink frilly dress out. She gently gets Lydia out of her pajamas, considering it's like…..7:30, and the party starts at 8, and gets her into the dress, fastening the back with Velcro.

"She looks like a doll." I comment.

Liz smiles. "Like Barbie's itty bitty little sister." She laughs, and then sits down, putting on a pair of pink booties the same color as the dress on her daughter.

"Can you take her for a second? I need to get changed." She says.

I nod and take her.

"Hey baby." I coo, and smile, seeing the little girl look up at me. She's so adorable. I would have a baby if they stayed this adorable all the time, and never made any fuss.

Liz pulls out a purple strapless dress and goes into her bathroom, and a few minutes later, she emerges, looking really good.

"Dang…for a lady who had a baby a few months ago, you look incredible."

She grins. "Really? Oh, I was so worried I wouldn't look good. I've been trying to lose some weight." She looks in the mirror. "I think it worked pretty well."

I hand Lydia back to her and go get changed into my own dress. I know I'm wearing clothes, but I feel practically naked wearing that little dress. But all my doubt disappears when I come out and look in the mirror.

Not trying to be conceited, but I look good. I doubt anyone will be able to ignore me, looking like this. I know Tyler won't. Not that I'm trying to make him jealous. But if he does happen to get a little jealous…..oh well. That is just a plus, I suppose.

My hair gets a bit more straightened, and then I brush it back into a neat bun. I notice the bruise even more clearly and use extra concealer to hide it.

Liz has her hair crimped and laying down, and her shoes and silver stilettos. Lydia has her hair in pigtails, and yet again I think of how adorable she is.

We head off to the party and I see Xander and Carter right away. I hug Liz one more time and walk toward them.

Xander notices me first and a smile slides across his face. Carter looks up shortly after.

"Wow, Nat….you look….good." Xander says.

"Good?" Carter sputters. "She looks incredible!"

I can't help but blush a little. "Thanks, guys."

"Where's Tyler?" Xander asks. "Not coming, I hope?"

I smile. "Not sure. We aren't coming together." I say calmly, trying not to give away that I'm not with Tyler at all anymore. If I do that, they'll swarm like bees.

Katie runs over to Xander, whispering in his ear, and he looks at me with a questioning look. I have a feeling Katie knows what happened, and just told Xander, but the two of them walk away.

"Nat….what's wrong? You and Tyler go to all the parties together." Carter says, taking my hand.

I blink, sighing and looking off the edge of the ship. "I will tell you when it gets closer to midnight. That way when it hits midnight, it's a new year, and it can be forgotten."

Carter nods. "Alright. I respect that, Nat. But….if you want to tell me sooner than that, I'll be here. I promise."

He gets up and walks away, leaving me alone.

Katie comes scurrying over almost a second later.

"I can't believe how freaking calm you are!" she hisses. "He hit you, and you're being so….nice about it."

I give her a look. "How did you know about that, Katie?"

She shrugs. "Half the ship is talking about it. And I would go to Tyler's room and warn him if I were you, because when he gets here, Luke is probably going to drop kick him off the side of the ship, he's so upset."

I rub the back of my neck with my hand. "I'm not talking to him, Katie. It's not happening. We're taking a break."

She groans. "Well then he's going to die."

"He can't. He's immortal." Is my immediate response.

"Yes, but not if Luke challenges him to a fight. Your brother isn't stupid, Natalia. He's going to find a way to kill him. And Luke is a better swordsmen than Tyler is. And deep, deep down, you know that you want to go talk to him and warn him so he won't get hurt. Nobody could move on that fast."

I roll my eyes. "I am not speaking to him, Katie. I'll do better. I'll talk to Luke."

She groans again and walks away in a huff, her knee length black and purple dress swishing as she goes, and she stops by Lucas, talking rapidly, though I don't know what she's saying. Poor Lucas. He has both the kids, one in a carrier, the other in his arms. Katie takes Jackson out of his arms and rocks him a little herself, muttering to herself.

Lucas looks over at me a few times in the course of the conversation that I see, then says something to Katie, and I can almost see my name on his lips. Not sure if I'm just imagining that, or if it's real, but I don't stand there anymore to find out.

I find Luke sitting in a deck chair by the railing. He jumps up, almost spilling his punch all over himself and Yuna. "Natalia!" He exclaims.

"Oh my god, are you alright?"

I nod. "I'm fine, Luke." I retort.

"Don't be brave. Did he hurt you badly?" I can see his eyes scanning my body.

"You're not going to see any marks of it." I say. "I know better than to let anyone see anything."

He raises an eyebrow. "Seriously….are you alright?" His arm slings around my shoulders and leads me away. I can tell he's mouthing something to Yuna over his shoulder, but we keep walking.

"I know how hard break ups can be….you did break up with him, right?"

I nod. "I said that he and I needed to take a break. I figure if he wants to get together again, he'll come and find me and fix what he did."

He smiles. "That's a good idea. You're so smart, Natalia."

I can't help but smile a little at that. Luke doesn't usually toss around compliments, especially not to me. It feels good to have him complimenting me.

"Thanks….I…I'm going to go get some punch." I say.

Luke smiles and hugs me a little. "Dance with someone. If you can't find anyone, come find me, ok? I am not letting you sit there on the sidelines like the pretty little wallflower I know you become when you're alone."

"I promise, I will not sit there and be a….wallflower. I will dance with someone. Don't yell at me if it leads to a kiss."

He chuckles. "You don't kiss on the first date, silly girl."

"Oh? I do, I think."

"Did you kiss Tyler on the first date?"

I think about it. Not only had I kissed him on the first date, I had almost given my virginity to him.

I nod. "I did." I say, to put it simply.

He smirks. "And look how that turned out."

I almost hit him, but he walks away too quickly, and if I hit him, I'm just as bad as Tyler.

"Hey!" I sort of shout after him. He turns around.

"May I help you, sister dearest?"

I nod. "Don't kill my ex unless I give you the ok?"

He smiles. "No problem. Only if he provokes me."

"He won't. He isn't that stupid." I reply.

"I doubt you're correct there. I mean, the boy hit you."

He turns and keeps walking, and I walk into the bathroom to check my makeup. And by that, I mean make sure that my concealer hasn't started fading off to show my bruise. It hasn't but I brush a little more powder on over it, figuring better safe than sorry. I wait a few minutes, in case it needs time to dry or something, and then I'm back out, looking for someone I know to talk to.

Xander and Kaisy are standing a small distance away, talking quietly.

I see Liz and Katie standing by a little baby play pen that must have been set up so they could drop their kids and go party while still having them in sight. Internally, I praise Luke for that genius idea, but then I realize it was probably Liz or Katie that thought of it, which makes me laugh a little to myself.

I get myself some punch, looking around, wondering if Tyler is even going to show up. It would probably be in his best interest to not show up, but if he does, he's a brave, brave guy. By the looks of it, almost everyone knows about what happened between us as of now.

"Excuse me?" I hear, and turn around, seeing Emilia.

"Oh, hey Emilia. How are you?"

She's wearing an orange dress that looks positively adorable on her, and I applaud her in my head on making the bold choice of wearing orange to a party with this many people here. I wouldn't be brave enough to, that's for sure. And I doubt I could pull it off as well.

"I'm alright. I was looking for Tyler though. He said he would dance with me."

I nod. "Well, I'm sorry. I haven't seen him, so I'm afraid you will have to wait for your dance with him."

She laughs, a cute little bell-like sound. "No, no. I wanted to find him to tell him how silly he is, for breaking up with you. I can get my dance anytime I want."

I frown. "I broke up with him, Emilia."

She pales. "Oh….well…..in which case….that's a little silly. Don't you love him anymore?"

I nod.

"Then why did you break up with Tyler?"

Hmmm. So there is someone on this ship that doesn't know.

"He did something bad. And it's not something I want to forgive right now."

She takes my hand. "I'm sorry, Natalia. I didn't mean to sound mean. I just thought he broke up with you. I heard a lot more yelling from him then I did from you from my room. He's really, really loud. It was kind of obnoxious."

I smile at her, laughing a little. "He can be pretty loud every once in a while." I admit. "But I am not going to badmouth him. I broke up with him, so if anyone is going to be complaining about anybody, it's him, about me."

Emilia smiles. "Well, ok. I'm going to eat some cookies now. They look pretty yummy."

I wave to her as she walks away, still smiling. I sip my overly tart, not all that good punch until Lucas comes over. "I need someone to dance with. Katie is bringing the boys home because it's their bedtime, and I'm here alone. I figured, since we're both here alone, we might as well be alone together."

I smile at him. "I would really, really like that." I say, tossing my half drank cup of punch in the trash.

Lucas leads me onto the dance floor, his hands on my hips. I put my hands around his neck, swaying back and forth with him.

I hate to say that I am already thinking about my ex, but I am. I mean, how can I not? My face burns from where he punched me, and I'm self conscious about if anyone else sees the bruises that I know is hidden by only a well applied layer of concealer, and I just…..I can't stop thinking about him. It's not really my fault, is it?

"Nat….?" Lucas asks. "What's wrong?"

I sigh. "Nothing, Lucas." I reply softly.

He gently moves my head onto his shoulder. "Come on, Nat." he says, so soft I wonder if I'm imagining it. "You can tell me what's going on. Katie and I had some really rough patches at times. I want to try and help you."

I sigh again. "Why was I so stupid, Lucas? I dated him for months. Months! And I had no idea that he was the kind of guy that would hit me. I had no idea that he would turn on me like that, when he was angry, just at me saying my opinion and telling him I wasn't going to do something he asked of me, for once.

Why did I date him, when deep, deep down, I knew he was trouble. I knew that he had a past, that he got a girl pregnant, and didn't help her too much until the baby actually came. I knew that he had left a girl brokenhearted before, and I still dated him, knowing full well he could end up treating me like I'm nothing."

He strokes my hair. "We accept the kind of love that we think we're worthy of." He whispers to me.

"Do you think I'm stupid to trust him like that?" I ask.

I know he's shaking his head. "Not at all. I think you had hope that his intentions were good, and you wanted to love him. You wanted him to love you, and you were thrilled when he did. You didn't know he would do anything you didn't like. Nobody ever knows that their boyfriend, or girlfriend, is like that."

I take my head off his shoulder. "You sound like you've been through this before."

He nods. "I had a few girlfriends before Katie. I'll talk to you about it because she isn't around. I dated her for six months, and we were really having a nice relationship, and I trusted that she loved me. I was caught up in the moment of it being our six month anniversary. I asked her for sex. She didn't agree. I wanted her so badly, so badly, Nat. And I told her I loved her. Stupidly, of course. I didn't actually love her, but I wanted her bad enough to make me say it. And she slapped me. Full across the face. I fell flat on my back from the impact of it, just because I wasn't expecting it. She called me all these names, ad she said that I was a stupid, naïve little boy, because she was 2 years older than me. And then she kept hitting me. Kicking me. Leaving bruises everywhere she could get to. Then she broke up with me. I never saw that girl again. And I thought I was the stupidest person alive, for thinking she and I were going to have a relationship. I told myself how dumb I was, for thinking I was anything except a sweet little play toy for her. I was so heartbroken, so upset. I wasn't bleeding, but God was I bruised. And I got up, and I went to see my brother, who was in college. And he helped me set myself straight. I wasn't stupid for dating her, or for wanting her. I didn't do anything wrong telling her how I thought I felt. I was younger then I am now, and I'm still naïve as hell because I have barely any experience of the world yet. But you know what my brother said to me?"

I shake my head, keeping myself silent like I have during this entire story.

"He said, 'You aren't stupid for loving her, or for dating her, or for going after an older lady. She's stupid, because she decided to abuse you.' And that girl got arrested the day after, Natalia. Turns out she had abused other guys before me. And this was her third strike. And she got what she deserved. Tyler is going to get what he deserves too."

I nod, smiling at him. "Thanks, Lucas. That makes me feel better….and I appreciate you telling me that story…..it helped me. I'm sorry about what's happened to you."

He smiles. "It's fine. I'm happy to tell that story, as long as Katie will never know it. I mean, she would kill that girl if she knew that there had been a girl who had hurt me. And if there is one thing this world does not need, it is a Katie Blake rampage. She can go on the worst rampages when she really wants to, Nat. And it's pretty funny, usually. But…..you know what, that isn't the point. I…uh….I'm glad you learned from my story. If I can help you through your ordeal like my older brother helped me through mine, then my mission is accomplished."

I smile and kiss him on the cheek, which actually makes him blush.

"What time is it?" I ask.

He looks at the clock across the deck. "11:20PM."

I roll my eyes. How is it that I waste so much time at these parties? I mean, it doesn't feel like I've been there that long, but it's been hours and hours.

"Thanks for the dance, Nat." he says.

I hug him. "No problem. I'm going to go dance with Xander and Carter now." I say, walking over with a huge smile on my face. I see Liz walking away with a sleeping Lydia in her arms.

"Liz! You're baby's bedtime is this late?" I ask.

She laughs. "No, I came back because I forgot my purse. I just didn't want to leave her alone. Good night. Have fun."

I smile and walk over to my two best friends.

But of course, Allison decides to pop in there. "Oh, Natalia. How are you?"

I look at her warily, because the two of us absolutely hate each other.

"I'm alright." I say. "How are you?"

"Fine." She says, pushing a strand of hair beside her ear.

"Listen…I know that we don't really get along….but I heard what happened between you and Tyler….and I just wanted to say that even if I don't like you, I am really sorry about what happened. Nobody really deserves that kind of thing happening to them…..even you."

I nod, raising an eyebrow. "Are you high?"

She shakes her head. "No…I just….wanted to come and say that, because I don't want it to seem like I hate you enough that I would wish your boyfriend to hit you."

I smile. "Gee, thanks. I don't hate you to that level, either." I say sarcastically.

"That came out wrong. I just mean that I don't like you, but I don't hate you enough to wish damage on you."

I nod. "Alright, I get it. Thank you very much, Allison, and I hope you have a wonderful rest of the evening."

I keep walking before she says anything, but it sort of touches me in a way about how she went out of her comfort zone to try to…..comfort me. Ew. I hate that girl. But I can't say I hate her as much, at the moment.

"Aghh, the princess has decided to grace us with her presence." Xander laughs, taking my arm and putting it through his. Carter does the same with my other arm.

"What's going on?" I ask.

Carter smirks. "We made a truce, for the time being. And as part of that truce, both of us are dancing with you."

I smile. "Boys, it's about time you two got a truce. And I would love to dance."

The three of us dance, me in the middle of the two of them. They take turns spinning me around, and, dare I say it, I do a little grinding on each of them. I mean, I'm single, there's nothing wrong with it now! I know the two of them know it's just a friendly sort of thing.

I look at the clock. 11:48.

"Hey Carter, I promised you something." I say, pulling him off to the side.

He's smiling. "Agghh yes. Now, what is wrong, Natalia?"

"Well….I'm sure you noticed that Tyler isn't here…..it's because….well…..we broke up."

He looks at me, shocked. "Really?"

I nod. "But before you think weirdly about that, I am not looking for a new boyfriend hours after I broke up with my old one. Plus, this might only be a temporary thing."

"Why?" Carter asks.

"He did something I don't like, but….I'm thinking of forgiving him if he apologizes, and if he promises on his immortal life that he will never do it again."

He nods, still looking confused. "God, Nat…..what did he do?"

I start crying, without even meaning to. I wipe the concealer off my cheek with my somewhat wet hand, letting the bruise be exposed.

"He hit me." I say quietly, looking down.

He tilts my chin back up. "Nat….I am so, so sorry."

"I'm not." I whisper.

"What do you mean?" Carter asks.

I don't want to go all crazy, weepy girl on him, I really don't, but I sort of have to in order to explain this to him.

"This was a wakeup call….I can't just run around pretending that the world is perfect. I have to make it good for myself."

He nods, just as we hear everyone yelling "10….9….8…7….6…"

I look off the deck, wondering if I'll see any fireworks.

5

4

3

2

1

I feel lips on my cheek and see Carter.

Then my other cheek is wet, and Xander is there.

I feel arms around my waist.

"Baby, I'm sorry." Tyler whispers in my ear.

"Don't touch her!" Carter exclaims, pushing him back.

Both boys stand protectively in front of me.

"You can't just hit her and wait a few hours and expect that she's going to forgive you." Csrter says.

Xander nods. "You can't tell her to have sex with you, and hit her when she says no."

"That's what he did?" Carter asks in awe.

Xander nods again, glaring at Tyler.

Carter lunges and ends up landing some hits on him.

Xander joins in soon after.

Tyler just lays there. He doesn't hit back. He doesn't do anything to stop them.

He. Just. Lays. There.

Eventually, after maybe a minute or two, Xander gets up, dragging Carter to his feet.

"Carter, come on. Stop it. Stop it, Carter."

He pulls him back, latching my hand with Carter's. "Stay here. Stay with Tally, and I'm going to go get Luke. Because we can't beat Tyler up. But Luke can, if he wants to. I think he has more right than we do."

I don't even comment on the nickname, because Carter looks absolutely _**venomous**_. I squeeze his hand.

Tyler is laying on the deck, bleeding, and I make probably the worst decision of my life- I sit down next to him, crying.

"I'm sorry, Natalia." He says softly.

"Don't apologize. Tell me you aren't going to do it again."

"I won't….I-I promise." He says, his eyes misty.

"You promise you won't do it again?"

He nods. "Never again, baby. And I'll return that….um…thing I got you…..and I'll never ask again…for that thing we started arguing about."

I nod. "And?"

"And?" Tyler asks.

"There better be one more part to that." I say.

Carter takes hold of my shoulders, probably for support.

"Whatever you want, Natalia."

"I want to be your girlfriend, not an object that you can order around like this is 1955? OK?"

He smiles. "You know what year I was born in."

I nod. "I did my research."

He grins at me, then leans up, kissing me. I taste blood.

"You're bleeding." I point out.

He nods. "Even more so when Luke gets here. Please…..please, honey…..do me a favor and get back to your room. I don't want you watching."

I smile and kiss him one more time. "You're very brave."

"No. I just accept punishment when I know I deserve it."

I take Carter's hand and let him help me up. I let him take me back to my room.

"So….you and Tyler are back together?" he asks.

I don't answer.

I'll let everyone wonder for a while.


End file.
